My Twisted Road to Life: Nightmares & Dreamscape
by xShanastay
Summary: Part 2 of the Twisted series detailing Janessa's arrival and acclimation to Middle Earth and her relationship with Legolas.
1. Down the Rabbit Hole

Disclaimer: (In the spirit of Crimson Starlight)

Haldir and Glorfindel: banging loudly on Shana's bedroom door

Bessie: What're you two doing?

Haldir and Glorfindel: jump at the unexpected voice, looking rather guilty

Bessie: hands on hips Well?

Haldir: She locked herself in her room and is refusing to come out.

Shana: from inside room Fuck off!

Glorfindel: See?

Bessie: Did it ever cross your minds that maybe, just maybe, she wants some time to herself, away from you two that isn't at work?

Haldir: blinks Why would she want to get away from us?

Glorfindel: looks sheepish

Bessie: nods toward Glory I think he gets it.

Haldir: looks at Glory So?

Glorfindel: We HAVE been a bit in her hair a lot lately. Actually a lot more than usual.

Haldir: confused

Glorfindel: She needs some "me" time and unless we want to be sleeping with the dog and the snake for the next 2 weeks I suggest we give it to her.

Bessie: makes shooing motion Scram. Go climb a tree or something.

Haldir and Glorfindel: glare but leave

Shana: pokes head out of room They finally gone?

Bessie: Yup. You got em?

Shana: Oh yeah. pulls Bess into room Every movie Keanu Reeves ever made.

Bessie: rubs hands together, already drooling Which one first? Oh wait. Almost forgot. Shanastay owns only Janessa. Everything recognizable belongs to Tolkein. We good now?

Shana: Oh yeeeaaah. The Matrix?

Bessie: grins Red pill or blue pill?

Shana: Red pill.

**Chapter 1: Down the Rabbit-Hole**

Janessa awoke to find herself in a brightly lit white room. From her prone position on the floor she tried to determine where she was, bringing one hand up to shield her eyes from the light. "Bloody hell. I feel like I have the mother of all hangovers. Where the fuck am I?" Jan muttered, propping herself on her elbows, still lying on her stomach.

She let the hand by her brows drop, her attempt to diminish the glaring illumination proving ineffectual. She couldn't even tell where the light source was. Looking down at the ground she realized she didn't even cast a shadow. "Ok. What the fuck? That's a neat trick."

With a groan she levered herself to her feet. As she moved, pain flared across her lower back and ribs, forcing the air from her lungs. Something snapped, the agony driving her back to her knees. As quickly as it hit, the pain was gone. _Did I wake up in bizarro-land?_ Jan looked around again, this time registering that while everything was white, she could not discern actual walls, a ceiling or even the floor she kneeled on as she cast no shadow. Everything was just… white and utterly featureless.

_Neat trick was an understatement. Where AM I?_ It took her a moment but Jan finally realized what it was she was sensing. _A presence. Something or someone else is here, but where? Oh what the hell…_ "Hello? Who's there? I know you're here. Come out and show yourself!" she challenged.

Whatever it was smiled in response. _Smiled? How would I know it smiled? _Jan rose to her full height, warily turning about in a small circle, eyes narrowed, trying to see something, anything in the glaring whiteness. _Curiouser and curiouser. Stay calm. Think. How could you have gotten here? Start with the last thing you remember._

Against her better judgment Janessa closed her eyes, focusing on what she could remember. With vivid clarity it all came rushing back. _The Denver_ _7 Newsvan. They were chasing me. There was an accident, a gas tanker. I got the truck driver out. I was going back to get the news crew when… Oh God. The guy with the cigarette. He… I ran but I was too close. The explosion vaulted me through the air. I… _Janessa's mind froze, the moment she was airborne and something hit her freeze-framed in her mind.

"I died." Her voice was a barest whisper

The presence seemed pleased with her conclusion.

Janessa shook her head, clearing the fog of disbelief from her mind. Striking a trademark pissed off stance Jan glared in the general direction of where the ceiling would be. "Ok, so I died. And I ended up here, wherever here is. What is this place? Purgatory? Have I not suffered enough in my life that I have to do time here before gaining entrance to Heaven, assuming there is a Heaven and this is Purgatory?"

Janessa's tone was clearly sarcastic, her typical disregard for unproven authority coming through. "Or perhaps this is Hell. Maybe my version of Hell. I can see myself going insane quite quickly from sheer boredom. So what gives? Which is it? 'Cause surely this is NOT Heaven."

The presence seemed amused by the redhead's attitude.

From nowhere eerie music began to rise, quickly gaining strength.

Free… the dream within

The stars are crying, a tear

A sigh…

Escapes from heaven, and worlds end

_Wait a minute. I know this song. Where have I heard this before?_ The answer hovered at the edge of her mind, teasing her. The woman's voice was haunting, the music soaring. _Is there some kind of message here I'm supposed to divine? Do the words have a greater meaning?_

Breathe… the dream within

The mystifying

We tremble and spin

Suspended within

_"The dream within…" What does that mean? Wait. I remember! _"This is the theme from _Final Fantasy: The Spirits Within_. But why am I hearing it? What are you trying to tell me? Answer me!"

Look beyond,

Where hearts can see

Dream in peace

Trust love, believe

_Dreams, dreams. This has something to do with dreams. My dreams? Which ones? I don't understand!_ "I don't understand! What do my dreams have to do with anything? Hello? Kinda dead here. Dreams are a bit irrelevant at this point don'tcha think?" Jan threw her arms out to her sides, turning in circles, pleading to whatever or whoever it was out there.

We tremble and spin

Suspended within

_Even in death I can't get a break!_ "Hey! Color me stupid but I don't get it. So what is it? I'm suspended in a dream now? Hey, whatever. Not like I have a whole lotta say here. If you're gonna do something might as well get on with it! I'm not getting any younger here. Well, I'm not getting any anything. I'm DEAD! Great. I'm dead and I'm talking to myself to boot. Good job Jan. Couldn't get it together in life and you're just as fucked up in the afterlife… or whatever." Suddenly the music seemed to get louder, as if to emphasize the lyrics that followed.

Free… the dream within

A voice is calling, a song

A prayer, from deep inside you

To guide you

Be… the dream within

The light is shining

I fly on the wind

Salvation begins

_Guide me? Salvation? What do I need to be saved from? _"Oh come ON! I'm already DEAD! Why do I have to keep reminding you of that?" Jan's arms hit her sides with a loud slap.

Look beyond

Where hearts can see

Dream in peace

Trust love, believe

"Trust love?" Janessa started laughing hysterically, losing her grip on her already tenuous sanity. "Am I actually supposed to believe LOVE will 'save' me? Love is a joke, a petty dream deluded people indulge in. It's too late for any of that anyway. I'M DEAD!!!" Jan screamed her last comment, the sound swallowed up immediately.

We tremble and spin

Suspended within

The presence did not seemed pleased with her reaction, the redhead still giggling like a madwoman, tears beginning to run down her face.

Completely defeated, Jan lifted her face up, impotent tears still coursing down her face. In one last act of defiance the redhead raised both hands high over her head, both middle fingers extended, not knowing or caring if the entity would recognize the gestures as the insults they were.

Free… the dream within

The stars are crying, a tear

A sigh, escapes from heaven

And worlds end

The ground, or lack thereof, dropped out from under the redhead.

With an echoing scream Janessa plummeted downward, tumbling and twisting.

"MOTHERFUCKER!!!!" the woman screamed as she fell uncontrolled and unchecked.

Janessa tumbled end over end several times before she got a grip on herself. _I'm gonna puke if I don't do something fast. Ok. I'm in free-fall. There is no difference between this and jump training at USAFA. _ Janessa reconsidered that thought for a split second. _Strike that. At least at USAFA I had a parachute…_

That only slightly comforting thought in mind, she immediately spread her arms and legs out in a loose "X," her knees slightly bent, body tensed against the rush of air she fell through. The movement put her in a stable body position, stomach down the twisting and flipping immediately ceasing.

_Now that I'm stable and not gonna hurl, what hell am I gonna do?_ She looked "down." _I have no idea where I'm falling to or what is waiting for me. FUCK! Why do I have a bad feeling that if I wasn't already in Hell that's exactly where I'm headed now. _"FUCK YOU WHOEVER YOU ARE!!!!" Jan screamed defiantly yet again, having decided she'd pissed whoever or whatever off to the point she could say anything now.

Something caught her eye and she focused her attention below her, alarm growing in the back of her mind. _Oh shit. What the fuck is THAT?_ Something was coming into focus beneath her, much like everything got bigger as you dropped out of the sky when parachuting. _Ok, that IS the ground._ As things grew in size the redhead began to make out a valley, trees, a river, buildings and other vague features.

Every hair on Jan's body stood on end as she came to the crystal conclusion, _Awww FUCK! This is gonna hurt!!!_ Nothing impeding her rate of descent, the woman screwed her eyes shut as things below became all too clear and large. _Brings new meaning to "brace for impact."_ _So I get to die twice? Woo! What did I do to rate that privilege?_

Jan cracked on eye open a split second before impact, immediately closing it again, an involuntary scream ripped from her chest to be cut off as she slammed into the ground.

The group of elves and one Istari gathered in one of Imladris' many gardens looked around as an unexpected scream rent the air, all jumping back as a body landed on the ground at their feet. Not one moved as they contemplated the still form before them, Gandalf and Glorfindel looking speculatively up into the clear blue sky. The most striking thing about the body was the cascade of blood-red hair falling around it, obscuring its face.

Several thumps behind him caused Legolas to turn, finding himself staring at a pile of black leather saddlebags, a full quiver of red-fletched arrows, a gracefully curving bow and a strange looking sword. A grunt and the sounds of movement turned the Prince's attention back to the body they had formed a circle around.

Janessa was surprised that the force of her impact with the ground wasn't even remotely what she'd anticipated. She hit hard enough to bounce but not injure anything other than her nose. She landed face first, her nose breaking with an audible crack. _Someone REALLY has a sense of humor. _

Muttering around the blood pouring from her nose Jan sat up, throwing her head and hair back as she shifted to her knees, weight resting on her heels, her fingers pinching the bridge of her nose. She froze as she suddenly realized there were people all around her. _Oh shit. This can't be good._

Elrond, Erestor, Glorfindel, Legolas and Gandalf all were struck speechless by the sight of the woman, they now realized, who had just dropped out of the sky into their midst. Her strange, skin-tight attire drew murmurs at the bared skin of her midriff and the swell of her bust, the latter now splattered with blood dripping down her bared neck from her clearly broken nose.

A gasp rose from the Mirkwood Prince as she tilted her head toward him, her features becoming visible, followed by an unfocused rush of anger and barely restrained panic. Legolas took a step back, feeling as if he had been punched in abdomen, all the air rushing from his lungs, a choking sound issuing from his mouth. The woman's emerald eyes locked on his, widening in fear as she saw recognition sweep through the elf.

The group's attention shifted back and forth from woman to elf, their confusion at Legolas' reaction plain on each face. Glorfindel in particular picked up on the woman freezing as she met the Prince's gaze, her muscles going suddenly tense. _No. Could this possibly be…?_

"Janessa."

_Fuck this shit. I'm gone!_

Legolas' whispered declaration was just loud enough for the redhead to catch, spurring her into motion. Janessa immediately dropped her hands to the ground in front of her. Pushing off with her fingers and flexed toes she took off sprinting past Elrond, heedless of the renewed flow of blood from her damaged nose, heading straight into a thick stand of trees, the nearest cover she could spot.

Catching sight of something important to her left, Jan dodged just enough that her path took her past her piled belongings. As she swept past she bent slightly, catching her quiver with attached sword in one hand and bow in the other. As she ran she threw her quiver hastily across her shoulders. Shouldering her bow as well she vaulted up to catch the low-hanging limb of a large tree, quickly clamoring up into the branches.

In a flash Legolas was after her, Glorfindel hot on the Prince's heels as they pursued the clearly distressed woman, the rest of the company clearly not understanding what was happening.

The redhead had a bit of a head start, giving her enough time to retrieve what were clearly her weapons as she raced away from them and into the trees.

Legolas had to fight back the tide of alien emotions battering him as he pursued her, realizing he was clearly correct in his summation of who she was. What he could not fathom was why she was running from them. Had they somehow inadvertently threatened her without realizing it?

Glorfindel was not nearly as confused as Legolas as to Janessa's motives for running. Faced with an unknown threat he would have retreated to a defensible position himself, which he assumed was exactly what she was doing. The balrog-slayer smiled to himself as he caught sight of her black-shod feet swinging up into a large tree ahead.

Janessa managed to climb several layers up into the canopy before the two elves reached the base of her tree. She unshouldered her bow and swiftly nocked a broadhead arrow, loosing it to impact at the first pursuer's feet. She swiftly retrieved another arrow, holding it at the ready, this time aimed at the head of the larger male that had followed the first, perceiving him to be the greater threat though neither seemed to be armed.

"STOP!" she cried out. "Who are you and where the FUCK am I?" Confusion and concern? rose in Janessa's mind, mingling with her barely controlled urge to panic. So muddled was she that she failed to realize neither of the former emotions were hers.

Legolas jumped back as the black and red arrow lodged in the ground at his feet. He looked from it to Glorfindel and up to the woman who now had a second wicked-looking arrow pointed at the seneschal's head. His head already swimming the Prince couldn't make sense of the woman's words, only catching the controlled panic rolling off her in waves. _There is no way this could be anyone other than Janessa._ The fact that he was privy to what were clearly her emotions settled the issue for him.

Glorfindel, recognizing her panic, stepped forward with his empty palms extended, attempting to placate her. He spoke to her in Sindarin, whatever she had yelled at them sounding like so much gibberish to his ears. "Janessa. Saes. We have no desire to hurt you. Please come down."

Janessa's aim never wavered as the taller male stepped forward, his palms out, hands empty. He wasn't speaking English which confused the woman further. _What was that? _It sounded somehow familiar, but she couldn't quite put her finger on it.

As the tableau continued a strong gust of wind blew through the trees, buffeting Janessa on her precarious perch. The air lifted the oddly-attired males' long hair, whirling it about their heads. Janessa nearly lost her arrow, barely maintaining her hold on the deadly dart as the dancing breeze revealed something to her eyes that should have been impossible.

_Pointed ears! They both have pointed ears!_ Her already panicked state escalated as the observation sunk in.

"Where the hell AM I?" Jan cried out desperately as more of the long-haired, pointed-eared males drew up behind the first two.

The shorter, thinner blonde male mimicked the first one's actions, spreading his clearly empty hands and speaking what Janessa assumed were supposed to be placating words. At the same time as she spoke Janessa was suddenly hot with a wave of focused emotions that definitely were not hers.

Concern and reassurance rushed through her as she focused on the slender blonde male clearly entreating her. The emotions seemed to gain strength the more she concentrated on that particular individual. _What the…?_ Without consciously realizing it Jan had let up on her bow and was staring, open-mouthed at the male, having come to the extremely unlikely conclusion that the emotions she was feeling were coming from him.

Both elves remained wary, Glorfindel in particular tensing as the woman cried out what was clearly a question, speaking in some language he did not recognize. _How do we communicate with her if she does not speak any of our languages?_

The balrog-slayer sensed the approach of Elrond and the rest of the group, motioning behind him for them to stay back, not wanting to worry the woman further. Glorfindel assessed the woman's increasingly agitated state. A million questions flew through his mind as he tried to ascertain the best course of action to follow. He almost stopped the Prince as Legolas copied the seneschal's previous motions, pleading with the embodied mystery woman.

Legolas tried to calm Janessa, consciously projecting concern and reassurance toward the redhead. _Calm down. It's alright. No one here will hurt you. Please. Trust us. _The Prince was gratified when he seemed to receive a response as she let up on her bow.

Something clicked in Janessa's mind as she tried to process everything coming at her. _Sindarin. That's what they're speaking! Why the heck are they speaking the language Tolkien created for the Eldar? And further, why do they LOOK like elves? They couldn't possibly be… could they? Now that I'm really looking they clearly are NOT human. That means they MUST be something else…_

A particularly strong gust of wind caught Jan unawares, causing her to lose her balance, her arms pinwheeling in the air as she fought to maintain her precarious perch. Jan didn't make a sound as she lost the battle, slipping off the limb, plummeting toward the ground.

Legolas smiled as Janessa seemed to calm down, considering his words perhaps. The grin was wiped off his face as he watched the redhead suddenly lose her balance and fall off the limb she'd been perched on.

The entire group held their breath as they watched the woman fall from the tree.

Legolas cried out as she was about to hit a branch, only to watch Janessa, incredibly twist in the air, reaching out to catch the branch one-handed instead. Relief rushed through the elf at the woman's save only to be overwhelmed by a flood of pain. Jan had clearly injured herself in grabbing that branch.

Jan remained focused even as she fell, her back toward the ground. Deftly, she turned in the air, hand moving out to catch hold of the nearest passing branch rather than hit it. Jan caught the branch one-handed, her bow clutched in the other, swinging down under the branch. The speed of her drop coupled with her own weight resulted in her shoulder tearing out of the socket as her descent was suddenly arrested.

Jan hissed through the pain flaring down her arm and shoulder and across her back, thankful that at least it wasn't her draw arm. _Bloody hell. What next? Oh wait. I've literally fallen into a fairy tale. Just wonderful. What have you gotten yourself into now girl?_

"You couldn't just let me stay dead could ya?" Jan yelled indignantly to the heavens.

A/N: OOoooo! Cliffhanger! Or should that be branch-hanger? More to come soon! Our poor girl just can't get a break can she?


	2. Hanging By a Thread

Disclaimer: (In the spirit of Crimson Starlight)

Haldir and Glorfindel: poke heads into room to see what Shana and Bess are up to after 18 sequestered hours

Bess and Shana: watching _A Walk in the Clouds_

Bess: sniff He's just so beautiful! sniff

Shana: Mmmm… Always drool-worthy.

Hal and Glory: stare at TV screen with Keanu on it

Hal: mutters You have GOT to be kidding. THIS is quality "me time?"

Glory: tilts head, considering He would make a rather attractive elf.

Hal: whaps Glory on back of head, hisses Traitor!

Shana and Bessie: turn in time to watch the now wrestling elves fall into the room in a pile of tangled limbs Ooooo! Live entertainment!

Hal and Glory: freeze as they realize their lurking has been discovered

Shana: Oh don't stop now. It was just getting good.

Bess: Are they gonna get naked?

Shana: to Bess It's usually inevitable.

Hal and Glory: glare indignantly

Shana: Oh come now boys. You can't deny it. I don't have a single fic where you don't appear naked at some point.

Bess: Shanastay owns nothing belonging to Tolkien. She just does deliciously naughty things with them. licks lips

Shana: Hey! You're a married woman.

Bess: I can look can't I?

Shana: Point. to elves Well? Come on now. We paid for a show.

Hal and Glory: huff, clearly annoyed and try to untangle themselves

Bess: Damn. So much for that. turns back to TV and Keanu

**Chapter 2: Hanging By a Thread**

"You couldn't just let me stay dead could ya?" Jan yelled indignantly to the heavens.

_Picking up where we left off…_

Perplexed, the elves and Istari below wondered what the woman dangling by one hand from a branch could possibly be yelling and who it was directed at. Legolas actually had an inkling of where the woman's anger was directed. He was getting the sense that something significantly more powerful than all of them was the intended recipient of her rage.

Jan winced, fire racing up her right arm. The pain in her limb eclipsed the throbbing emanating from her broken nose. Her vision began to swim as the injury swelled and blackened, her whole face starting to hurt. _Fuck. Fuck. Fuck._

The redhead held onto the branch with a death grip, knowing full well that if she fell that would be the end of her. She gritted her teeth, her eyes closing as a gust of wind sent her swinging again, the pain washing all awareness of anything else out of her mind.

From the pained expression on the woman's face it was clear to everyone down below that she had been injured when she made that last-ditch grab for a branch. Legolas found himself fighting pain-induced waves of nausea. It took the elf several long moments to regain his focus, consciously segregating the pain to a corner of his mind.

As soon as it was clear her attention was focused elsewhere, both Legolas and Glorfindel flew into motion. The two were a blur, climbing up the tree, the Elda leading. By unspoken agreement the seneschal made his way to the branch from which Janessa hung, the Prince situating himself on a branch beneath her, ready to catch her if she fell again. Slowly the balrog-slayer made his way out onto the branch to where she hung.

Jan swallowed a scream as the branch holding her dipped and swayed. She kept her eyes closed, focused on staving off the pain and retaining her grip. Her eyes flew open as she felt long fingers wrap around her wrist. She looked up to find herself gazing into the aquamarine eyes of the golden-haired elf. He said something to her, but her pain-fogged mind was unable to process the foreign language.

The redhead shook her head, trying to convey her lack of understanding, instantly regretting the move. She squeezed her eyes shut as a wave of black threatened to overcome her. Focused on staying conscious she lost her grip on the branch, Glorfindel immediately tightening his hold on her wrist.

The seneschal took Janessa's tiny wrist in his hand, marveling that she still managed to hang on despite the extreme pain she was clearly in. "Let go," he told her as reassuringly as he could. He held tight as she shook her head, still not understanding him. As soon as she began to move her head he knew what would happen. He supported her weight as she lost her grip, some of the tension leaving her arm.

The blackness receding, Jan registered the fact that she hadn't fallen. _He's holding me up._ She felt herself being lifted and this time she couldn't hold back the scream that tore loose from her chest.

Once he was sure she had control of herself the Elda began to pull her up. He wasn't prepared for the ear splitting scream she let out and nearly dropped her, gritting his teeth against the shrill sound. He quickly concluded that pulling her up was not an option.

Below them every elf, including Legolas, clapped their hands over their ears, trying to muffle the excruciating noise. The Prince nearly lost his balance as both the sound and her pain hit him like a fist to the gut, recovering it at the last moment. Gandalf merely cringed, watching the unfolding tableau high above them, not sure what to make of it.

Glorfindel and Janessa's eyes met, their gazes locked. Within the emerald depths of her eyes he saw something that shook him to the very core. For a moment her eyes flickered with a haunted look that was all too familiar to the Elda. As soon as he recognized it, it was gone, replaced by a dull, lifeless glaze. He remained still as she spoke in heavily accented, but clearly understandable Sindarin.

Having had enough, Janessa let her bow slip from her fingers. Miraculously, Janessa's falling bow encountered no obstacles. The arrow fell straight down, embedding itself in the soft earth at the foot of the tree. Seconds later, Elrohir darted forward to catch her bow, taking a moment to examine the weapon before stepping back to look up into the tree.

Legolas knew something was terribly wrong. The pain he'd been sensing from her receded to be replaced by a resounding nothing. It didn't bode well to the slender archer.

Enough was enough. All the Sindarin she'd learned came rushing back to her. Bereft, she looked into his eyes and uttered a single phrase before bowing her head and closing her eyes.

"Let me go."

Glorfindel simply refused to believe his ears. Her tenacity up to that point had impressed him. He refused to accept that she had simply given up. If this was the woman Legolas had told him of, and of that he was certain, she had already been through much worse and survived. Disregarding her words he called out to the Prince, "Legolas, catch her!"

The elf below nodded, his body tensed in anticipation. He watched the seneschal quickly swing the redhead and let her go. Legolas caught her about the hips. Shifting her around, the Prince got one arm under her knees, the other around her back. Jan's left side was pressed to his chest, her right arm dangling uselessly.

The Sinda could see the silent tears coursing down her face from her tightly closed and rapidly bruising eyes. As carefully as he could Legolas began leaping from branch to branch, making his way down the tree to the ground. Not once through the entire trip did she utter a single sound, though he could feel her trembling in his arms. He could sense nothing from her, the flow of emotions seemingly ceased.

Once on the ground, Legolas moved to place the woman at the base of the tree. Elrond's hand on his arm stayed the Prince's movement. The Sinda held Janessa still as the healer did a quick examination of her, the dark elf's brow furrowed with concern.

Legolas didn't like the look in Elrond's eyes when the Elder finally met his gaze.

"She's going into shock. We must get her to the Houses of Healing NOW!"

The Prince merely nodded before he took off running, Janessa still firmly in his grasp. As he ran he let his mind turn back to that harrowing moment when she'd let go of the branch. He just couldn't believe he'd heard what he thought. Beyond the fact that it had been said in heavily accented Sindarin was the shocking simplicity of it.

As if it were nothing she'd asked Glorfindel to drop her. _There is no way she'd say that. _He'd lived through all her trials with her. _How could she go through all of that and NOW give up?_ It made no sense. To make it this far and just give up. Something just didn't fit. Either he had heard wrong or he was missing something. She still had not moved or uttered a sound since he caught her.

Elrond gathered up his robes and took off after Legolas, followed closely by Elrohir. The ancient healer was already running through treatment options in his mind, trying to select which one would be most effective. Elrohir went with him in case the Elder required his assistance.

This left Glorfindel at the mercy of the rest of the group as it was clear that he and Legolas knew the identity of the mysterious woman. Elladan and Erestor began firing off questions at the seneschal as they turned to trail the others. The Elda held off the questioners saying only that the woman was the one from Legolas' visions and any further questions should be directed to the Prince or the woman herself.

Far from mollified the group fell into a tense silence, each mulling over their own thoughts and questions.

Glorfindel kept a tight rein on his agitation, not wishing the others to pick up on it. The Elda was deeply troubled by the petite redhead's request of him. He could not fathom why she wanted him to drop her. What he'd seen in her eyes, that haunted look. It was all too familiar. He'd seen that same look reflected back in his own face. Here was someone who had been on the other side and returned. It had a way of changing a person.

He couldn't help but wonder how her experience differed from his and if she remembered anything from "in between." Still, her words nagged at him. Something had driven her over the edge, though he knew not what.

Gandalf hung back from the rest of the group, his attention half on the balrog-slayer, half lost in his own thoughts. The Istari knew something had transpired high up in the tree between the woman and the golden-haired elf. He just wasn't sure what. The Mara wondered idly if Janessa's apparent catatonic state was due to her injuries or something else, something that ran deeper than physical pain.


	3. You Can't Have Everything

Disclaimer: (In the spirit of Crimson Starlight)

Trina: taps foot So where's the nookie?

Shana: blinks Huh?

Trina: You promised me naughty fiction.

Shana: Good lord woman! Have you never heard of "plot development?"

Trina: No, I want SMUT!

Shana: Well go read one of my other fics. This is the BASE STORY for all the others. So excuse me if I don't just have them show up and screw.

Trina: sticks out tongue You're no fun.

Shana: crosses arms over chest And you're a nympho. Your point being?

Glory and Hal: fall over each other trying to beat the other into the room

Glory: Someone say nympho?

Trina: eyebrow Is that the one?

Shana: The only.

Trina: evil smirk Glorfindel.

Hal: dusts self off, watches Trina drag a now protesting Glory toward the extra bedroom What about me?

Shana: grin You get to banish the "Bobby ghost."

Hal: looks in direction Glory was drug Damn, he got the easy assignment.

Shana: You think so? runs finger down elf's chest, sliding hand up under his skin-tight t-shirt

Hal: pulls Shana up against him Never said I liked easy.

Glory: head pops out of back room Shanastay owns nothing belonging to Tolkien. gets dragged back into back room Sweet Eru woman!

**Chapter 3: You Can't Have Everything… Where Would You Put It?**

By the time Legolas reached the Houses of Healing Janessa had retreated completely into herself. Her consciousness was relegated to a dark corner of her mind, all but the most basic of life-sustaining processes ceasing. It was as if a black hole had opened beneath her and swallowed her up. She was completely and utterly unaware of anything occurring to or around her.

Legolas was becoming increasingly agitated at his inability to sense any kind of emotion from the redhead. It was almost a tangible feeling unto itself, like a gaping hole had opened inside him. When the woman had appeared he had been able to sense her with a clarity unlike before. Now it was like she had died again, their link severed with a totality he had not felt so acutely previously. The lack of feeling was utterly disturbing.

Elrond had been only a few steps behind the slender archer, slipping nimbly around the fair elf, directing Legolas to place the woman on one of the cots. The dark elf assisted the blonde, removing the strange quiver and attached sword. Once the redhead was settled the healer quickly reassessed her state, distressed to find her completely unresponsive to outside stimuli, including pain.

Legolas kept hovering behind the Imladrin lord, watching everything Elrond did. After almost tripping over the Mirkwood prince for the third time the healer turned, wordlessly took hold of the younger elf's shoulders and guided him to a stool next to the left side of the cot.

Immediately realizing his error, the blonde elf blushed and focused his gaze back on Janessa, reaching out to take her right hand between both of his.

Elrond smiled indulgently at Legolas, taking silent note of the Prince's unconsciously protective behavior. He registered the arrival of the younger of his twin sons without turning.

Elrohir stepped up beside his father, a tray laden with soft cloths, various herbs and a bowl of warm water balanced in his hands, Janessa's bow slung over one shoulder. The younger elf immediately noticed his blonde friend's protective posture and the redhead's insensate state.

Sensing the imminent question Elrond murmured softly, "She isn't responding to any form of stimuli. Not even pain."

"That is good for tending her injuries, but does not bode well for her recovery," Elrohir stated.

Elrond nodded as Elrohir placed his tray on a table at the foot of the cot, doffed the woman's bow, placing it against the wall by the quiver and sword and assessed the redhead.

"Her injuries are mostly superficial. The blood on her face, the black eyes and swelling are from a broken nose. Her left shoulder is dislocated and the muscles possibly torn. The damage is not severe enough to be the cause of her dissociated state, and," the elder elf inclined his head toward Legolas who seemed to be utterly unaware of the other elves' presence, "that."

Following his father's motion Elrohir took in the immobile form of his friend. Legolas' eyes had glazed over in a manner similar to elvin sleep, but somehow different. It took a moment for the raven haired elf to recognize the difference.

When elves slept, they kept their eyes open, still aware of the outside world, but allowing their minds and bodies the opportunity to rest. There was always that hint of awareness in their eyes, something Legolas' now lacked.

Stunned, Elrohir passed a hand before the blonde's eyes and even snapped his fingers. Either motion should have brought the archer to full awareness. Nothing happened. Legolas didn't even blink. His eyes were simply… empty, both hands gripping Janessa's right. Looking up, Elrohir watched his father shake his head. The elder elf had no explanation for it.

The elder healer moved around his son to stand by the woman's head on her left side. Reading his intent, the younger elf leaned over Janessa, placing one hand on her uninjured shoulder, the other against her side beneath her right arm.

Elrond took hold of the woman's left arm, drew it out and away from her body until it was perpendicular to her torso. Making sure her elbow was locked out, the elf flexed her hand, placing his right palm against hers. His left hand he pressed to the unnatural bulge protruding from the top of Jan's shoulder. While Elrohir braced the woman's body the healer pressed down with his left hand as he angled her arm with his right, reseating her shoulder in one smooth motion.

The joint moved back into place with a sickening popping sound that even the experienced healers both winced at. Janessa's body showed no reaction, not even an involuntary twitch. Elrond then probed around her shoulder joint with his fingertips, assuring himself that no tendons had been caught or nerves pinched from the maneuver. Satisfied that he had accomplished what was needed, the elder healer gently laid Jan's arm by her side.

Throughout the procedure Elrohir had been watching Legolas' face for any sign of awareness, anything that would signal that the Prince was coming out of his fugue state. As the redhead's shoulder was popped back into place the blonde elf didn't even twitch. There was simply nothing, just an empty gaze.

Elrohir couldn't decide which was more disturbing, the woman's coma-like state or the blonde archer's complete dissociation. The darkling elf decided the two in conjunction were the worst. One of the pair being so was distressing, for both to be like that put a wholly different connotation on the situation.

Once her shoulder was set, the younger of the two raven elves released the woman and began handing items to Elrond, the elder elf tending to Jan's face. The Imladrin Lord carefully wiped away the dried blood on her cheeks, noting the bruising and swelling around her eyes. They were swollen almost to slits, the damaged tissues purpling.

Still insensate, Janessa did not so much as twitch when seeing the odd angle of the woman's nose, Elrond deftly broke it again, resetting it. He caught the new rush of blood from her nostrils with the cloth in his hand. The healer had no way of knowing her nose had had that odd set for at least a decade from various fights. All the blood removed, Elrond then laid a clean cool damp cloth across the woman's eyes.

Nodding to his son, the elder elf took up the tray Elrohir had brought in and silently left the room, the younger elf taking up a vigil over his friend and their new arrival. Quickly returning everything to its place, Elrond stepped out of the edifice into the fading sunlight where the rest of the group had been waiting. He quickly relayed to them the turn of events.

Gandalf stood slightly apart from the group, listening to the Imladrin Lord, but his focus was on a certain golden-haired seneschal. So it was that the Istari was not surprised when Glorfindel volunteered to relieve Elrohir in his vigil. Something had passed between the reborn elf and the woman up in that tree and Gandalf was determined to find out what.

Deciding that no further information would be forthcoming the group dispersed, the white wizard hanging back until Elrohir emerged from the building. The darkling elf nodded to the Istari and continued on his way back to the Last Homely House. Gandalf quietly stepped into the edifice, moving to stand behind Glorfindel.

The golden-haired elf only looked up at the wizard from his seated position when a hand was placed on his shoulder. A slight turn of the head was the only indication the seneschal had given that he'd heard the Maia enter. For a bare second when their gazes locked, Gandalf saw deep worry flicker in Glorfindel's eyes before the elf carefully schooled his features back to neutrality.

_Ah, so I was right. There IS something more to this than is being said. _The pair regarded the eerily silent tableau before them, each lost in his own thoughts.

When Glorfindel heard of the state that Janessa and Legolas were currently in he immediately volunteered to take over the watch, inwardly hoping that somehow he might pull them out of it. He couldn't release the memory of the look in the redhead's eyes as she calmly told him to drop her. The significance of it was not lost on the Elda.

Being an immortal being, before his first death, he could not fully comprehend the mindset of a human, knowing all the time that at some point, some place, they would ultimately die. Compared to the longevity of elves, the lifespan of a human passed in the blink of an eye. Elves made plans in terms of centuries. The shortness of human life resulted in them living life at what elves perceived to be a feverish pace, their lives brutal and short. Having such limited time, every moment meant so much more. Having died once, Glorfindel had an insight few Eldar understood.

What Glorfindel did understand was what it felt like to die, and to die violently at that. That haunted look, the knowledge of what lies on the other side of death never quite went away. Even thousands of years later he still had nightmarish flashbacks of what it was like in the Halls of Waiting.

For Janessa it was still new and fresh and quite probably one of the reasons she lay on the bed insensate. It made sense that she'd feel overwhelmed. To a certain extent it would account for her state, but not Legolas'. Unless…

_No. He wouldn't be that foolish. The Prince may be impulsive, letting his heart guide him, especially considering the nature of his connection with her, but he wouldn't… _Dawning certainty flowed through the elf like waves washing over the sand. _He followed her. Wherever she has fled to, he's followed her. Sweet Eru, help him. If he can't find her and bring her back we may lose them both._

Gandalf observed the seneschal from where he stood at the foot of Janessa's bed. He took in the subtle changes in posture the Elda let slip, wondering exactly what it was Glorfindel had made of the puzzle pieces before them. Unable to, or unwilling to rein in his curiosity Gandalf asked, "Well?"

Glorfindel allowed a half-smile to cross his face. _He doesn't even tell me what it is. He just expects me to know. Granted, he's right. _"I believe Legolas is somehow using his connection with Janessa to follow wherever it is her consciousness has retreated to. He is playing the gallant knight to her damsel in distress." The ancient elf shook his head. "He's trying to save her, but from what I've learned of her from him she neither wants nor needs to be saved. I can only hope we don't lose them both. She's been through worse."

Gandalf remained silent, turning his attention back to Legolas and the mysterious redheaded woman whose hand the blonde elf held tightly between his. _What the Valar have in store for you, I do not know. The only thing I am relatively certain of is that the path before you is neither straight nor short._

For several moments Gandalf contemplated, debating sharing with Glorfindel, aware that Legolas had shared far more with the seneschal than he had with the Istari. Between the two of them they might be able to fill in the holes in Gandalf's theories.

The ancient wizard hesitated only a moment more before querying the Elda, "How long has it been since Legolas was last in a relationship?"

Glorfindel started at the unexpected question, turning to face the old man fully, his brows drawing together, eyes narrowed in confusion.

"I assure you I have good reason for asking. I have no desire to intrude upon the personal affairs of the Prince."

Relaxing noticeably, sensing the direction this was going in the Elda answered, "To my knowledge it has been well over a century since his last liaison, and longer still since he was involved in anything resembling a relationship."

"Why, do you think, that is?"

Now Glorfindel knew he was right about where Gandalf was heading with this line of questioning. "I _know_ why that is," the elf answered and stopped.

When the wizard raised one snowy eyebrow, indicating he should elaborate, the seneschal reluctantly continued. "The reason is both simple and complicated." Glorfindel sighed, bending his head and closing his eyes, the fingers of his right hand coming up to pinch the bridge of his nose.

Gandalf waited patiently for the balrog-slayer to compose his thoughts, knowing the elf most likely held the key to their present conundrum. The Istari couldn't help but notice the haunted look in the elf's eyes as their gazes locked.

"There is no elleth or ellon in all of Middle Earth that is a match for him. Not even me. Neither one of us feel that kind of attraction." From the look on Gandalf's face the Elda knew the Istari realized there was more to it than that.

"He is tired of meaningless liaisons and fleeting relationships. Thranduil expects Legolas to marry a courtly lady, someone befitting an elf of his station and reputation. Finding no one of interest within or without our accepted social circles he has opted to remain alone, rather than dally with individuals he has no intention of committing himself to."

"What is it that all these potential suitors are lacking?"

"What he is looking for simply doesn't exist. Everyone has some thing, some area that they excel at. No one exists who excels at, well, everything."

Gandalf's expression was nothing short of incredulous. "He wants perfection personified? That is a bit much to ask."

Glorfindel shook his head adamantly. "No, no, no. Not perfection," sighing deeply he spread his hands in supplication. "Think about what both Legolas is known for. He is a legend unto himself, supposedly having accomplished these great feats, when all he did was rise to the challenges of his Age."

Seeing that Gandalf still did not understand he explained further, "Versatility. The uncommon ability to adapt to any situation, becoming and doing what is needed at the time."

With stunning alacrity Gandalf grasped what Glorfindel was driving at. "An equal. He desires someone who can match his abilities in all arenas, all aspects of life."

"Exactly," Glorfindel leaned back in his seat, relieved that the Istari seemed to grasp the enormity of the problem. "His expectations are a bit… high."

That's when it struck Gandalf why the Valar created the connection between Legolas and this otherworldly woman. Legolas' match simply did not exist in this time and space. So the Valar had bridged the gap between worlds. But this woman was, for lack of a better description, damaged. To Gandalf's obviously skewed perspective she appeared to be anything BUT the perfect match she was intended to be.

The final piece fell into place then. The equal to Legolas wouldn't be someone perfect. It would be someone who had been through the kinds of things he had, lived through turbulent times, seen and done things few others could/would have and survived, been able to overcome and move beyond.

The Istari knew of some of the horrors that the woman had endured and Legolas had given him the impression that rather than breaking her, they had only strengthened her will to live, made her stronger. The blonde archer had said something once that Gandalf knew had to have come from the woman. "What does not kill you only makes you stronger." A strange but rather true statement.

The Maia was aware that Legolas still had waking visions, what humans called nightmares, of Moria and the balrog in particular. Living through such things, such times, had a way of changing you that only someone having endured similar trauma could understand.

Ever since the fall of Sauron, Legolas had been feeling alienated from his own people. He had clung to his friendship with Gimli, the pair traveling together, their camaraderie and shared experiences binding them together, keeping them sane. The sea-longing that had awoken in the Prince had been a constant strain, his promise to Aragorn the only thing holding him to these shores.

The Valar had realized only someone from somewhere totally foreign could be the other half the Prince needed. Gandalf could only hope that the woman would fill the gaping hole that had opened in the elf's life.

"Gandalf? Sweet Eru, what IS going on?"

The Istari snapped out of his introspection, refocusing on Glorfindel's clearly concerned visage. He waved dismissively, indicating he was fine. "This is what I believe is happening. Legolas has felt apart from his own people for some time. He has been alone and slowly withdrawing from those closest to him. Unable to find someone to relate with him he has shut himself off and slowly begun to fade."

The seneschal's eyes widened at Gandalf's words. He had noticed the Prince seeking more and more time alone than he was previously known for. Whenever in Imladris Legolas was always in the company of either the indomitable Peredhil twins or Estel. Recently the blonde elf had been seen slinking off by himself or seeking out the balrog-slayer's company as Glorfindel was known for keeping to himself.

_This makes all too much sense. Legolas has not been himself now for some time. He has been more alive since this strange connection manifested itself than before. He has also been noticeably wilting since she "died."_

"He has proven himself over and over, his selflessness, much like yours, has become legendary. The Valar wouldn't reward such a person by simply letting them wither away alone so they created this 'link' through time and space between them. I believe their feas may already be bound."

The golden-haired elf's head snapped up at Gandalf's last words. _Already bound? Is that possible?_ Turning back to the unmoving pair before them the Elda considered the tableau. _It must be so. How else could Legolas have followed where she has gone if not for that depth of connection? Mental powers have never been one of Legolas' talents._

The two observers let silence settle around them, each considering the ramifications of the other's words, blissfully unaware of the drama unfolding deep in the recesses of a certain redhead's mind.

A/N: Yes, I KNOW it's been forever since I updated. Hopefully I will be able to do so on a more regular basis again. Real life has been intruding in a big way over the last several months with a LOT of changes and adjustments taking place. Thank you for your patience. I have NOT abandoned this or any of the other fics. Domination Chapter 5 needs only some editing, the next chapter of Two is nearly done as is the next installment of Thine. Thank you again and PLEASE leave me a review! I write faster with encouragement.


	4. Breakdown

Disclaimer: (In the spirit of Crimson Starlight)

Glorfindel: attempting to escape from Trina's clutches, hickeys visible on every exposed surface of his skin Sweet Eru woman!

Trina: hanging onto elf's leg Oh no you don't! I'm not done with you yet!

Shana: on couch curled up in Hal's lap Think he's met his match?

Haldir: eyebrow Indeed.

Shana: swats Hal Hey! That's Glory's line!

Haldir: other eyebrow So are you going to punish me for poaching?

Shana: contemplates Hmmmmmm….

Glorfindel: hands on either side of door frame hanging on Shanastay owns nothing recognizable as Tolkein's. Her original characters are hers alone. She makes absolutely NO monetary profit on her fiction efforts. to Trina Can we PLEASE give it a rest woman???

Trina: giggles insanely Oh hayl NO!!!

Haldir and Shana: roll eyes

**Chapter 4: Breakdown**

Have you ever been skydiving or even cliff-diving? If so, combine the two and you have some idea of what Legolas was experiencing…

When Elrond finally sat the blonde elf down, out of the healer's way, Legolas took the woman's hand in both of his. Feeling utterly impotent in his inability to do anything the archer found himself staring at Janessa's impassive face. His focus was so fixed that the world around them began to narrow and fade.

To the outside world Legolas looked catatonic, or what passed for catatonic in an elf, but appearances were quite different from reality.

Unable to reach out across the gaping chasm that had seemingly opened between them, the Prince tried a different tactic. The elf turned his search inward, looking for the part of himself he had sensed the woman through. That was when the ground quite literally dropped out from under him.

Having never been skydiving or even cliff-diving, Legolas had no experience with the concept, let alone feeling of being in freefall. As such he was unable to achieve any sort of stable body positioning, instead tumbling out of control through empty space. To his credit, the elf never cried out, apparently having expected the unexpected.

He fell through total darkness, the only sound that of the air whistling past his tumbling form. Legolas had never been afraid of heights, such a phobia being completely contrary to his wood-elf nature. Nor had the blonde prince ever really been claustrophobic, not even when he followed Aragorn beneath that cursed mountain. But this was somehow different.

The darkness he fell through, while seemingly endless and expansive had a cloying closeness about it. The air whistling past him was saturated with moisture but not quite at the dew point of condensing into droplets. Instead a clinging wet film quickly covered the elf's skin, matting his hair together in stringy clumps, his clothes sticking to his skin uncomfortably. The resulting feeling was one of overwhelming closeness.

Quite literally the blackness took on a palpable quality, closing in around Legolas, the thickness of the air itself choking him. The blonde elf found himself not only disoriented from his unabated tumbling but actually nauseated. For the first time in his long life he actually believed he might vomit.

Just when the archer believed he had reached the end of his endurance his fall was arrested by what could only be described as… the ground. He landed sprawled flat on his back, the wind knocked out of him. The elf lay there for several beats, blinking into the all-encompassing darkness.

The blackness was so total that when the faint, distant glow appeared Legolas had to shield his eyes, his pupils contracting painfully. He covered his eyes with one hand, rolling to his side, then onto his knees before shakily rising to his feet. His legs shook like one of Celebrain's gelatinous desserts and he felt like he had been worked over by a large group of Uruk-hai. Every nerve in his body seemed to be protesting.

Taking several deep, calming breaths Legolas centered himself, relegating the discomfort to the back of his mind. That accomplished, he opened his eyes and sought out the source of the sudden light. It was faint at best and appeared to be some distance away. As he began to move towards it a strange sense of urgency overtook him, the elf breaking into a headlong sprint directly for the glow.

The cloying closeness and moisture-laden air still tried to suffocate him, shortening his breaths. As he moved, an unfamiliar tightness spread through his chest. He fought past it, the urgency he felt increasing with every step. He was moving fast, yet the intensity of the light source ahead never seemed to increase. He realized with a start that the glow was diminishing, not moving away, but swiftly losing what brightness it had. Already at his limits, Legolas pushed himself even harder as the source of the glow came into view.

He perceived a pale form up ahead, seemingly crouched on the ground, curled up around itself. Legolas immediately recognized this as Janessa, her mane of shocking red hair unmistakable, the clinging cascade hiding the details of her body.

As he drew closer, the elf slowed his pace to a walk, approaching cautiously. The Prince was highly disturbed by what his eyes took in. The woman was totally naked, the only concession to modesty the fall of her hair. She was moving just barely perceptibly, rocking, no, more like swaying back and forth. Legolas could not hold back a gasp and step away as the woman lifted her head and turned her face toward him.

Unsettling didn't begin to describe what the elf was confronted with. The features were clearly Janessa's, but where her mouth was, should have been, there was simply… nothing. The Prince received yet another shock when she opened her eyes, revealing not the emerald orbs that had haunted his visions but watery, milky-white eyes that it was painfully obvious were sightless. Blind and dumb, this visage was apparently not deaf as the unseeing eyes turned in the elf's direction, what little movements she had been making ceasing.

_What IS this? What is causing my mind to create this horrible farce? _With dawning understanding Legolas realized that it was not HIS mind creating this altered woman, but Janessa's. Somehow he had found his was inside the woman's mind. _But why? How can you view yourself this way?_

As the elf began to slowly circle the crouched form, the woman's head turned to follow his movements. Nothing about her posture indicated she was tracking the small sounds made by his passage. She could not have been as Legolas moved with absolute silence. It was eerie the way she seemed to be looking right at him and yet through him. A suspicion began to grow in the Prince's mind and he decided to test his idea.

Casting his gaze about him Legolas observed small stones scattered along the ground, the lighter colored ones luminescing in the faint light Janessa was putting out. He bent down and picked up the nearest one. Holding it in his hand he realized the rock was translucent and highly polished. Looking into the stone he could see cracks and fractals beneath the smooth surface.

Glancing down again he realized all the scattered stones were like this one, their fractured cores visible and crystalline in the diffuse light. Consciously setting aside the nervous feeling that there was more to these deposits, Legolas set about testing his theory.

Standing up straight the blonde archer considered the impassive, disfigured face "watching" him. He then threw the stone from his hand off to the redhead's right side. It made a muffled clattering sound as it landed; muted, but still clearly audible. Janessa did not so much as blink, let alone flinch at the sound. Her sightless gaze remained fixed on him, never wavering.

_Ah. Just as I thought. She IS deaf as well. Somehow she must be sensing me, my presence. But how is she tracking me so accurately I do not understand. And why this disfigured visage? Is this some way of shutting out well, everything? I just don't understand. Clearly this is some kind of withdrawal, but what is it that drove her so far inside?_

The elf realized that if he did not do something the woman's catatonic state would continue unabated indefinitely. Unsure of how to proceed Legolas ceased circling the redhead as he considered his options.

_Well, when in doubt, the best approach is the direct approach._

For a while now Janessa had not so much as flinched, let alone moved, other than her head tracking his circling. As such the blonde archer was not prepared for what happened when he moved in on her. He had anticipated the potential of the redhead taking flight but had not even considered the possibility of her coming _at _him.

Legolas had not taken three steps toward the woman when in a blur of motion and accompanying cacophony of sound she came flying up off the ground… straight at him.

**Please help me 'cause I'm breaking down,**

**This picture's frozen and I can't get out.**

Hit by the auditory assault the elf had the barest glimpse of her naked form as her hair streamed out behind her before, right shoulder dropped and head tucked, she hit him square in the midsection in a football-style tackle.

**Please help me 'cause I'm breaking down,**

**This picture's frozen and I can't get out of here.**

With a surprised and loud whoosh of air Legolas had the wind knocked out of him, what breath was left fled his lungs as he impacted the ground, flat on his back.

Not even missing a step Janessa leapt nimbly over the prone elf, sprinting off into the distance.

Believe me, I'm just as lost as you.

Believe me, I'm just as lost as you.

The blonde archer could do nothing more than watch her go, desperately trying to regain his breath and his rattled senses. Laying there he was able to perceive within the surrounding noise a harsh voice, what amounted to Janessa crying out for help.

And every time I think I've finally made it

I learn I'm farther away than I have ever been before

I see the clock and it's ticking away, and the hourglass empty

What the fuck do I have to say?

**Please help me 'cause I'm breaking down,**

**This picture's frozen and I can't get out. **

**Please help me 'cause I'm breaking down,**

**This picture's frozen and I can't get out of here.**

In the increasing darkness the elf had time to contemplate the way the redhead had so thoroughly turned the tables on him before slowly climbing to his feet.

Believe me, I'm just as lost as you.

Believe me, I'm just as lost as you.

The direction the woman had gone in was obvious as she was the only source of light in this dark place, somewhere in the depths of her mind. He regained his feet and took off in pursuit, moisture flying from his sodden and tangled locks, his wet clothing clinging to his skin, hindering his movements.

Keep it inside the image portrayed

As if I couldn't stand losing as if I couldn't be saved, no way

A small confession I think I'm starting to lose it

I think I'm drifting away from the people I really need

Pushing himself to the limit, the soft light ahead slowly began to gain strength, the fleeing woman coming back into view.

A small reflection on when we were younger

We had it all figured out 'cause we had everything covered

Now we're older it's getting harder to see

What this future will hold for us, what the fuck are we going to be?

Deciding enough was enough Legolas put on a last burst of speed, closing the gap between them. The elf launched himself at the redhead, catching her about the knees and taking her down in a flying tackle.

**Please help me 'cause I'm breaking down,**

**This picture's frozen and I can't get out.**

Janessa hit the ground with an audible smack, her hands coming up just in time to keep her face from impacting. The woman immediately began struggling in earnest, as if she had not just been put down.

**Please help me 'cause I'm breaking down,**

**This picture's frozen and I can't get out of here.**

Legolas hid his face in the backs of her legs as she trashed about violently, her sharp nails seeking to claw at him.

Believe me, I'm just as lost as you.

Believe me, I'm just as lost as you.

Throughout this entire time she never made a single sound. The only noises were those made by their scuffling and the soundtrack blaring around them.

Lost Lost Lost Lost Lost Lost Lost Lost

The blonde archer simply hung on, waiting for the redhead to tire out or give up. After a seemingly interminable time Janessa ceased fighting and just lay there, breathing heavily.

I'm just as lost as you

Oh well

What am I going to do?

The elf began slowly extricating himself, sitting back on his heels, ready at any moment for the redhead to go off again. To his surprise she barely twitched, laying on her side, eyes half-closed, chest heaving.

I'm afraid I'm falling farther away

I'm falling farther away

I'm falling far from where I want to be

I'm afraid I'm falling farther away

I'm falling farther away

I'm falling farther away

The blonde archer took in Janessa's sprawled form, hair matted and tangled, stuck to her damp skin as he attempted to run his fingers through his own hair, only to find it thoroughly mangled.

**Please help me 'cause I'm breaking down,**

**This picture's frozen and I can't get out.**

With a shocked gasp Legolas fell back on his ass as a wave of emotion hit him like a physical blow. He was nearly overwhelmed by the despair and depression surging through him. He didn't need to think about it, he knew where they were coming from.

**Please help me 'cause I'm breaking down,**

**This picture's frozen and I can't get out of here.**

Now pushed far beyond his own emotional limits, Legolas pushed back as an uncharacteristic flood of anger and frustration broke forth from him, finding their vent on Janessa. The elf surged forward, taking the woman by the shoulders and shaking her roughly, a sound of sheer frustration escaping from between his clenched teeth and curled back lips.

Believe me, I'm just as lost as you.

For several moments the woman flopped limply in his grip, head rolling on her shoulders. In a split second the redhead went from limp to tense, head snapping forward, hands clenched on Legolas' forearms, sharp nails digging painfully in, eyes locked on his…

Believe me, I'm just as lost as you.

(Don't bring me down)

I'm just as lost as you

(Don't bring me down)

Eyes that were suddenly, shockingly clear and burning emerald green. Stunned, the elf froze as Janessa opened her mouth and a piercing, tortured scream broke loose from her chest.

Abruptly they were torn apart, each thrown back by an unseen force. They both blinked and found themselves back in the Houses of Healing, a very agitated balrog-slayer intervened between them.

TBC…

Song credits go to Trapt for their song _Still Frame_

A/N: Yes, I DO realize how long it's been since I updated and I feel I owe you, my devoted readers, an explanation. I will keep it brief. Real life for the past year has proven to be a real problem. I've been through a series of bad and destructive relationships, the most recent one the guy hit me, and I fought back only to get charged with Assault 4 Domestic Violence. I wasn't arrested and the case was dismissed last week but I was fired from my job in law enforcement over it. Prior to him assaulting me there were several months of systematic abuse that I was too close to see clearly. I have a wrongful termination suit pending and am on unemployment trying to find a job to pay the mortgage and bills. Since all this I've been finding out a lot about my ex that has beyond disturbed me. He was using methamphetamines the entire time we were together and sexually assaulted a minor to name just a few. Saying I've been traumatized is an understatement but I am holding true and strong. I have friends and family who have stood by and helped and supported me. First and foremost I am a survivor and will not just give up. I haven't given up on any of my stories and have a lot written longhand that will hopefully be posted in the next few weeks. I want to say thank you so much for your continued interest and support. It has meant more to me than I can express, especially during this past year. -Shanastay


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